Suggest reforms for further strengthening our parliamentary institutions so as to enhance the trust of the people in them?
Since 1952, the Parliament of India has played a significant role in the socio-economic transformation of the country by enacting several far reaching legislations. With the passage of time and with the growing inter-connected nature of the comity of nations and technological advancements, several new and complex challenges are staring at the young and aspiring India. Addressing these challenges underscore the need to address certain issues that are denting the functioning of our parliamentary institutions. Based on the experience of the last 67 years of our parliamentary democracy, we need to evolve a new normal for our parliamentary institutions so that our nation can make up for the lost time and opportunities.
Both pre and post Legislative Impact Assessment to be ensured for quality and informed law making for creating wider awareness about the targeted outcomes by bringing out social, economic, environmental and administrative impacts besides the involvement of all stakeholders in law making;
Ensuring effective functioning of the Department Related Standing Committees of Parliament through longer tenures instead of reconstitution every year as at present besides promoting specialisation by nomination on the committees based on academic backgrounds and their renomination on the same committees for longer period. I would like to discuss this issue with the Speaker, Lok Sabha for further action;
Increase of women reservation :
Taking forward the legislation in the Parliament for reservation of women in legislatures whose representation is at present only about 13%;
Compliance :
A minimum number of sittings for both the Parliament and State Legislatures per year to be appropriately prescribed and compliance ensured;
Code of conduct should be followed :
Law makers should abide by the Rules of the House and political parties to take responsibility in this regard by evolving and enforcing a code of conduct;
Automatic rules to be followed up :Making rules that automatically take effect against erring Members in case of interruptions and disruptions;
Mandatory of attendance :Political parties to evolve roster system for ensuring attendance of at least 50% of their members in the legislatures all through the proceedings of the House everyday to address the issue of lack of quorum;
Regular reviews and reports practices Tobe encourage :Secretariats of legislatures to publish regular reports on the attendance of members inside during the proceedings and the extent of their participation in the form of questions raised, debates participated in etc.;
Back bencher paralamentries to encourage to participate in debates :Legislature parties to ensure that the new entrants and back benchers are given adequate opportunities to participate in the debates instead of fielding only a select and established few;
Addressing the Challenges of criminal politics :jTo evolve a new political consciousness under which tickets to contest elections will not be given merely on the criteria of winnability by political parties to address the problem of rising number of legislators with criminal backgrounds;
Review functioning of anti defection law :To review the functioning of the Anti-Defection Law to address grey areas like incentivising members to resort to activities that invite expulsion from the parties besides stipulating specific time frame for deciding on defection matters by the Presiding Officers of Legislatures;
Review functioning of Whip System To review the functioning of ‘Whip System‘ which is being alleged to be stifling even reasonable dissent from the party position even on non-consequential matters and rationalise the norms for issuing Whip to enable some degree of freedom of expression without adversely affecting stability of the Government;
Fast track courts to be encouraged to solve cases against legislators :Setting up special courts/tribunals for time bound adjudication on criminal complaints against legislators and election related matters;
Non ethical conduct procedure strictly to implemented :Timely and effective action against legislators for non-ethical conduct; and
Respect the responsive views of opposition :Governments to be responsive to the views and concerns of the Opposition and the Opposition to be responsible and constructive while resorting to the available parliamentary instruments like Adjournment Motions and during participation in the debates and both sides to avoid cynical and adversarial position just for the sake of it.
Simultaneously elections :Consensus to be built on the proposal for simultaneous elections so that governance is not adversely impacted on account of staggered and continuous polls across the country and also to address the problem of rising money power in elections.
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